Building cybersecurity around the world

Ron Deibert, the director of Citizen Lab, the University of Toronto’s vaunted digital watchdog, explains the importance of the Cyber Stewards Network project, which supports building cybersecurity in places such as Asia, Africa and Latin America

Ron Deibert, director of the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, which runs the Cyber Stewards Network. The network works to combat digital threats in Africa, Latin America, developing Asian nations and the Middle East. (Photo: Riley Stewart/Munk School of Global Affairs)

When it comes to cybersecurity threats, developed nations such as Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom get the lion’s share of the attention. But in countries throughout what’s known as the global south — Africa, Latin America, developing Asian nations and the Middle East — the issue is becoming increasingly important. How a Toronto-based digital watchdog is helping solve the problem. Part of an ongoing series of stories about innovative projects in the developing world, a partnership between the International Development Research Centre and Canadian Geographic.